You’ll Never Walk Alone

Let me preface this entry: this is me tying soccer to spirituality. Maybe you’re a soccer fan, maybe you aren’t. I wasn’t, until I saw Liverpool play Arsenal in the Premier League August 31, 2025.

I’ve never been into sports. I grew up in the Deep South, where sports (football, specifically) is essentially part of your religion. I was annoyed with it- all the flare, the energy, time, and money spent on boys in tights tackling each other. My fiance, however, is a huge Liverpool fan. When I say that, I feel that sometimes people get in their heads the type of guy that’s deep into the NFL. Rest assured- this is not the same (primarily because my fiance is not like other guys.) He plopped on the couch in our basement apartment this past August and tuned into the Liverpool v Arsenal game. I’d come in and out of the room for a few previous games, seeing a few moments here and there. I’d heard the devastating news about Diogo Jota and cried. I vaguely remember my fiance telling me Liverpool’s slogan was “You’ll Never Walk Alone”. It struck a chord in me, but I didn’t pay much mind. Sports, you know.

This game, however, drew me in. It was intense, you could feel the electricity in the air. I plopped next to my fiance on the couch and tuned in. Sure enough, Dominik Szoboszlai made a goal of magic happen and Liverpool won. I was hooked. Every game after that, I tuned in. For a while, I couldn’t quite place what drew me in so intensely. From that day in August, I’ve been a die hard Liverpool fan. As the Premier League is coming to a close, I have some thoughts as to why this beautiful game of soccer has become such an important piece of my life.

You’ll never walk alone

If you’ve never heard this song, I highly suggest listening to it- especially the Liverpool fanbase version. Originally from the 1945 musical Carousel, this song was eventually adopted in the 1960’s by the Liverpool fanbase, and is sung at every match. I cry every single time. Throughout my work in the holistic healing world, my entire driving force has been to show up for people so that they know they aren’t alone. I spent too much time alone, or at least believing that I was, and I can’t stomach the idea of others out there believing that they are, too. So yeah, this song hits hard for me. Aside from the song, I do feel that at times, soccer is spiritual in and of itself. Let me break it down.

Soccer is a team sport, clearly. Each person on the pitch has a specific job, position, and purpose. As soon as one person starts acting as though they are the only ones on the pitch- playing for glory + themselves rather than playing with their team- everything falls apart. I watched this happen time and again over the season. Various players getting into their ego, acting like the lone wolf, and not being part of the system as a whole. This happens in our lives daily. When we look at parts work (IFS), we can see this a bit more clearly. We have the shadow, the protector, the conscious, the subconscious, the physical, emotional, and energetic bodies- so on and so forth. Quite often, we are existing from our ego or from our unprocessed/unconscious shadow parts. When we do so, we wreak havoc. In those moments, we are the player on the proverbial field that has abandoned the idea of ‘team sport’ and moved into the lonewolf trope. Nothing works. It’s no longer magic. Things go to shambles. When we step outside of our ego, when we look at our shadow and actually do the work to integrate, we then become part of the team again. When a player goes down, the team as a whole has the discernment of giving them their space and allowing them to breathe it out, or to circle around and support the downed player. This level of discernment is something to be used in our own lives and healing journeys. Is there a part of us that is suffering? If so- are we aware enough to give it space to breathe, to take action when this fractal of self needs support? Or do we ignore it and carry on with the game of life? When we ignore parts of ourselves that are suffering, that we are ashamed of, that we have learned are unacceptable, we fragment. We create shadow aspects. We disengage from our heart and our soul and are no longer walking hand in hand with our higher self. When we operate from our ego, from our unconscious shadow aspects, we further fragment ourselves. All of our pieces, our parts, are no longer working as a team- rather something dismembered, like dislocated limbs in the body. As this season of the Premier League played out, I’d often find myself asking during each game ‘Which parts am I ignoring? Which parts am I suffocating and not allowing to process on their own? Which parts of myself are acting out the lone wolf trope, not trusting the ‘other players’ on my internal team to get the ball to where it needs to go? How am I dismembering myself?’

The last question I’d like to pose is this: Do you abandon yourself, your purpose, your soul, when things don’t go your way? If you’re a Liverpool fan, you’ll know that this season hasn’t been going well. Out of the 38 games of the Premier League season, Liverpool- who won the League last season- has lost 11. This is where I circle back to You’ll Never Walk Alone. The commitment I see from the fans is incredible. After each loss, I see thousands of people posting #YNWA. That being said, there’s been some abandonment. Fans leaving early from matches when Liverpool is down several points. The players expressing how heartbreaking it is when that happens, how the fans are so important. I realize this sounds silly- it’s a soccer game, after all. But here’s the things: How often do we abandon ourselves, our hearts, our passions when things don’t shake out in the most ideal way possible? How often do we abandon others when they don’t live up to their promises? How often do we find ourselves walking, in fact, alone? If you take anything away from this entry, take this: Don’t abandon yourself. Don’t abandon what makes your heart beat fast. Don’t abandon what gives you joy. Don’t abandon your soul. Look at all of your parts, all of your players, and allow them to play this beautiful game of life together. And when you find yourself feeling as though you are alone, remember that you are not. Remember that you will never walk alone. Your higher self is with you, Spirit is with you, the Earth is with you, your guides are with you. I am here, too. For a conversation, a session, as a friend or space holder. Whatever you need. #YNWA